News and views about the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 and other legislation, schemes and policies impacting the Right to Education of India's Children.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

95% schools don't comply with RTE guidelines: Study

Over two years after the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education Act (RTE) was notified by the central government, more than
95% of schools in the country do not comply with its guidelines, a study
by an NGO has found.
Data compiled by RTE Forum with inputs from its members from across
the country points out that only one out of 10 schools in 2010-11 had
drinking water facilities, while two out of every five schools lacked a
functional toilet
The report accessed by IANS also shows lack of
training facilities for teachers, adversely affecting the quality of
primary education in India.
Nearly 36% of all sanctioned posts of
teachers in the country are lying vacant. Of this, the national capital
alone accounts for 21,000 vacancies, while 1,000 posts are vacant in
Odisha, RTE Forum's report says.
The guidelines under the RTE act
specify that schools "established, owned, controlled or substantially
funded by the government or local authorities" must ensure that the
vacancy of teachers "shall not exceed 10% of the total sanctioned
strength".
The study also found teachers in Haryana being engaged
in non-teaching activities like construction work or working as
contractors in the mid-day meal programme.
"No teacher shall be
deployed for any non-educational purpose other than the decennial
population census, disaster relief duties or duties relating to
elections to the local authority or the state legislature or
parliament," according to the guidelines of the RTE act.
The data
shows that the national average for pupil to teacher ratio is worryingly
high at 1:80, against the prescribed ratio of 1:30 for primary and 1:35
for upper primary level under the act.
"There is an urgent need
to mobilise people who can demand that the government do its part in
implementing the act. As a civil society organisation, we will create
awareness among people and monitor the implementation of the act,"
convener of RTE Forum Ambarish Rai said.